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Still, even Gayle shows signs of warmth and growth. It turns out that she once had a gay son, but he died in his teens; so her work at Genesis House is, on some level, driven by her personal need to make up for her loss—to "save" these men who resemble her son—but it is also motivated by a compassion that she learned the hard way. She, too, knows what it means to be broken, and to need healing.

Mark and Scott (Robert Gant) hit it off

The film does not, by any means, throw its weight behind the "ex-gay" cause, which in any case is a controversial subject even among traditional Christians. (The folks at Genesis House aim to purge people of their same-sex attraction, but others would say that this is not a realistic or necessary goal, and that it should be enough to encourage sexual abstinence.) None of the house's residents seem to have had all that much success shaking off their attraction to other men, and some of them eventually affirm their homosexuality in no uncertain terms.

But the film does at least take such causes seriously, and it is striking how one of the film's central relationships revolves around two people who each conform to, yet transcend, a stereotype that each side in this debate may have of the other. Mark's dangerously promiscuous sexual habits are linked to his substance abuse, while Gayle is motivated in her faith and work partly by pain, loss, and guilt. But both of them are still recognizably human, and thus complex, characters.

No one will mistake Save Me for a "ministry tool," but the film does at least encourage mutual respect—something Allen is hoping for. Where other films would have demonized the Christians outright, Save Me at least presents a world where gays and Christians can go their separate ways while wishing each other well. And that is progress, of a sort.

>Talk About It

1. What do you think of "ex-gay" ministries? Should gay men and women expect God to take away their sexual attraction? What if the attraction lasts? How would this compare to, say, asking God to heal them of a fatal illness? Why do you think God sometimes takes people's attractions away and sometimes doesn't?
2. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 that God gave him a "thorn in the flesh"—a "weakness" of some sort—to prevent him from "becoming conceited" about the revelations he had witnessed. What could the characters in this film learn from this passage about the relationship between pride, humility, and brokenness?
3. One gay man's father quotes Leviticus 20:13 at him (the passage which says men who have sex with other men should be put to death), and the gay man notes that Leviticus orders the death penalty for lots of other things, too, and that Jesus never spoke against homosexuality. How do you respond to these arguments? How should the words of Leviticus or Jesus be interpreted in the light of the entire Scripture?
4. Does Mark learn anything over the course of the film? Has Genesis House been a positive experience for him, a negative experience, or a bit of both?
5. Does Gayle learn anything over the course of the film? Has operating Genesis House allowed her to work out her own salvation in any way?
6. Do the Christians who work at Genesis House seem different from the Christians who don't work there? More caring and compassionate? Less?

The Family Corner

Save Me is not rated by the MPAA, but it would probably merit an R rating for its opening sex scene, which includes brief male nudity, and its frequent use of four-letter words, especially in the opening scenes before Mark joins Genesis House and integrates himself into the community. The film also depicts the aftermath of a suicide attempt, as a man sits in a bathtub filled with bloodied water.

Photos © Copyright First Run Features

© Peter T. Chattaway subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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